Hope for new scheme to drive down traffic offences

An Indigenous driving school in Western Australia's Pilbara is hoping a new program will help reduce the number of Aboriginal people being jailed for driving offences.

The State Government will spend $5.5 million helping Aboriginal people obtain driver's licences in towns, including Roebourne.

The program is expected to help about 1,000 people in Broome, Lombadina, Kalgoorlie and Roebourne over the next four years.

It will allow Police and the Department of Corrective Services to refer people in the criminal justice system for driver training.

The Red Dirt Driving Academy's Deon Storey says he hopes the scheme will be successful.

"Having a valid licence in the Pilbara leads to greater opportunities for Aboriginal people, in particular the areas of employment, it also reduces the cycle of offending, also fines and keeps local Aboriginal people out of Roebourne Prison, so it develops a safer community," he said.

"It's going to encourage us to work in partnerships with the Department of Corrective Services and the local police in ending what we have seen at a local level, an epidemic problem, so it's very exciting the State Government has invested such a huge amount of money to help break the cycle of incarceration for local Aboriginal people in Roebourne."